News

Thursday April 4 2013

A HIGH Court judge has ordered the NHS to reconsider plans to axe children's heart surgery in Leeds.

The ruling comes after an NHS review said surgery should stop at hospitals in Leeds, Leicester and London to focus care at fewer-but-larger sites.

Save Our Surgery (SOS) - the group fighting to keep the Leeds Children's Heart Unit open - brought the case to court and won a landmark ruling earlier this month.

On Wednesday, High Court judge the Hon Mrs Justice Nicola Davies quashed a further NHS decision relating to the choice of children's heart surgery units and assessment of quality within those units.

Barnsley MP Michael Dugher was "delighted" with the decision.

"The Leeds Children's Heart Unit is accessible to 5.5 million people in Yorkshire and the Humber," he said. "If it closes, more than 650 families helped by Leeds specialists each year would have to travel to other centres between 60 and 100 miles away."

Mr Dugher added: "I know from talking to families in Barnsley how important the Leeds unit is. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt must do the right thing and commit to safeguarding the future of children's heart services in Yorkshire."